Life

[Ghostrider]

Well, it is almost selffish to think that we are the only intelligent beings in the universe. Don't you think?

Yeah. Darn waste of space.

 

[agentgonzo]

Well, it is almost selffish to think that we are the only intelligent beings in the universe. Don't you think?

But you said 'that we know of'. Do you know something the rest of us don't?

 

[MJR]

Maybe.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Why is it, that human beings are the only species on the planet capable of evolving beyond what they were originally capable of.

Take fish, for example. 2000 years ago, they were swimming in the sea. Today, they are still swimming in the sea.

But with human beings, 2000 years ago we were living in caves and making primitive boats out of hollowed out tree trunks. Today, we are building stations in outer space.

That is what makes humans special - the ability to progress beyond what we are currently capable of, and not just accept what we see around us as the limits of possibility.

 

[Moonwalker]

Until we know a species that would be comparable to humans, we remain the only intelligent form of life.

The universe is about 14 billions years old, the solar system about 4,5 billion years old. It took a long time until humans existed and became what they are today, beside tons of species on a single planet within light years, thousands of, who don't progress that way, and partly don't do so at all. Combined with the fact that there is still no second Earth discovered, this shows how rare the chance really is that we are not the only ones. Of course there is a chance. But I guess the margin to find another species is pretty narrow and shrinking each decade while looking more closely and deeper into space but without to find anything.

 

[Artlav]

freedom

Hm.
Define freedom?

 

[agentgonzo]

But with human beings, 2000 years ago we were living in caves and making primitive boats out of hollowed out tree trunks.

I'm sure the Romans would beg to differ on that point! As would the Chinese, Greeks, Babylonians, Egyptians and quite a few others. 10,000 years maybe...

 

[Urwumpe]

True freedom is not about being able to say "no" to something you don't like, but to enjoy saying "yes" if you really like something.

But my true essence for life is just nature. Nothing special, no abstract things. I feel sick in a bigger city and feel already delighted to just see an horizon without human buildings. I need nature. Not that I can live without the many goodies of civilization, but I also can't live without nature around me.

Nature also does something to my social behavior. In the civilization (which a city is. A city is civilization and civilization is the city), I can't get far enough away from other humans, feel caged on populated places. But in nature, for example when walking up a mountain, I feel happy about any human I meet after a few hours.

I would thus say, nature is the essence for my humanity and my life.

---------- Post added at 06:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:09 PM ----------

I'm sure the Romans would beg to differ on that point! As would the Chinese, Greeks, Babylonians, Egyptians and quite a few others. 10,000 years maybe...

The Egyptian pyramids have been build about 5000 years ago, the first signs of bigger urban settlements are 10,000 years old. The oldest artistic depiction of a human is 30,000 years old, AFAIR.

 

[Ghostrider]

Take fish, for example. 2000 years ago, they were swimming in the sea. Today, they are still swimming in the sea.

Probably they don't need anything more. Ever thought about that? Another example is cats: why should they evolve further? Then they'd need to work for a living. Instead, they domesticated us and we're working to feed them.

 

[Oceanic]

life sucks, and then you die

 

[Urwumpe]

Probably they don't need anything more. Ever thought about that? Another example is cats: why should they evolve further? Then they'd need to work for a living. Instead, they domesticated us and we're working to feed them.

Even worse, they evolved in the time with us to become able to communicate with us: They don't speak human now, but we learned to understand meow. (Wild cats don't know how to meow, only domesticated cats keep that children behavior. Similar evolution to humans with a "defect" being able to digest lactose even as adults)

 

[ex-orbinaut]

Hmm.... One of those threads. Can I lighten the mood a bit and add my two cents (as Tex would say)?

If I say today that life is like a harmonious song,
Tomorrow’s discordance will prove me wrong.
If I believe my friends will always be there for the ride,
Tomorrow there will be only strangers by my side.

You can pray to gods as to recite your discontent,
And water a sterile seed in the barren sandy waste
To the end of growing a miserable plant of lament.
But it feeds none, and on the tongue is a bitter taste.

And is the red you perceive is the same hue that I see?
Is this the reason we cannot ever honestly agree?
I worry not really of this, so I let these questions be…

Of life what can I say except that all, day by day, is strange?
The less you will find you know, the further afield you range.
Thankfully, maybe, the only thing true is constant change.

Just knocked it up for this thread. The second stanza is partly borrowed from an earlier poem I wrote back in '94. The rest is new, so sorry if it is a bit rough and unedited! It is just for a laugh, so don't take it seriously, please!!!:lol:

 

[Quick_Nick]

I've always been a fan of the pulsar in Conway's Game of Life, its so beautiful and complex, yet amazingly commonly occurring pattern.

This is how I make a pulsar:
xxxxx
x---x

x: alive
-: dead

Nerd. (seriously, Cellular Automata pwns )

 

[ar81]

Where I live I can see nature, unlike many major cities.
I have been told it is something extraordinary for people who come from big cities.
I love when I am able to take atrip to national parks and stay in an arbitrary place, enjoying the quietness and silence of nature and the fresh air.

 

[astrosammy]

What I propably like most is that I have enough food and water, freedom and education.

After that comes the fact that I was born into such a great time where people fly into space. Thinking about that really made me crying a bit at the end of STS-125 EVA-5, and after landing.

And finally that I live on the land, not in a big city. Only problem with that is the slow internet.

 

[Ark]

I live for learning new things, and I'm very thankful that I get to live in a time of huge leaps in science and technology, and everything you'd ever want to know being right at my fingertips.

 

[Moonwalker]

Where I live I can see nature, unlike many major cities.

I'm luckily also able to tell that I can enjoy both, nature and city almost at the same time.

This is where I work:

And this is where I live, just almost 15 minutes by car from where I work (or about 25 minutes by bike which I prefer):